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ABSTRACTAn overview is given of an International Atomic Energy Agency Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the treatment of irradiated graphite (i-graphite) to meet acceptance criteria for waste disposal. Graphite is a unique radioactive waste stream, with some quarter-million metric tons worldwide eventually needing to be disposed of. The CRP has involved 24 organizations from 10 Member States. Innovative and conventional methods for i-graphite characterization, retrieval, treatment and conditioning technologies have been explored in the course of this work, and offer a range of options for competent authorities in individual Member States to deploy according to local requirements and regulatory conditions.

Abstract To guarantee the space heating in the heating season, conventional combined heat and power (CHP) plants operate in a heat-controlled operation mode, resulting in restricted peak-shaving ability (PSA). To improve the CHP plant’s PSA, a novel solar aided CHP (SA-CHP) system is proposed and simulated in this paper. In the new system, solar heat could be flexibly used to generate power or to supply heat according to the heating and power demands, thereby realizing the heat-power decoupling. A set of models for the SA-CHP system is developed and validated. The PSA, the standard coal consumption (SCC) and the techno-economic performances of a 330 MWe SA-CHP system are comprehensively analyzed in this paper. The results show that the SA-CHP system can significantly improve (up to double) the PSA compared with the CHP plant under the same rated heating power. The feasible operation region area of the SA-CHP system is 74.7% larger than that of the CHP plant. The annual SCC of the SA-CHP system are 17378.23 t less than that of the CHP plant. The net annual revenue of the SA-CHP system is $2.24 M. Besides, techno-economic performances of SA-CHP systems with two different heat storage systems are compared.

The transport sector needs to go through an extended process of decarbonisation to counter the threat of climate change. Unfortunately, the International Energy Agency forecasts an enormous growth in the number of cars and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Two issues can thus be identified: (1) the need for a new methodology that could evaluate the policy performances ex-ante and (2) the need for more effective policies. To help address these issues, we developed an Agent-Based Model called Mobility USA aimed at: (1) testing whether this could be an effective approach in analysing ex-ante policy implementation in the transport sector; and (2) evaluating the effects of alternative policy scenarios on commuting behaviours in the USA. Particularly, we tested the effects of two sets of policies, namely market-based and preference-change ones. The model results suggest that this type of agent-based approach will provide a useful tool for testing policy interventions and their effectiveness.

Nowadays, most countries of the world are implementing the transition to the low-carbon economy which implies the need to carry out a full-scale eco-modernization of the energy sector. Green energy may be identified as one of the core concerns of energy sector modernization as it allows a considerable decrease in emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Therefore, nuclear and renewable energy may become key areas of global energy development in the near future, which is also in agreement with circular economy concepts. However, public opinion (and other controversial visions/aspects) is one of the barriers to their development. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between attitudes towards nuclear and renewable energy in two countries: a EU country (Italy) and a non-EU country (Russia), considering the level of their development. The authors conducted a survey among residents regarding their attitude towards nuclear and renewable energy, as well as their attitude to the present energy policy. The cluster analysis technique was used to analyze the results. The obtained results confirmed the dependence between the level of development of nuclear and renewable energy and the public attitude towards it. The national energy policy also might influence public opinion on the development of nuclear or renewable energy. The authors identified public attitude as one of the key factors in the development of energy and the achievement of environmental and social sustainability.

Lipase‐catalyzed transesterification of triglycerides and alcohols to obtain biodiesel is an environmentally friendly and sustainable route for fuels production since, besides proceeding in mild reaction conditions, it allows for the use of low‐cost feedstocks that contain water and free fatty acids, for example non‐edible oils and waste oils. This review article reports recent advances in the field and focus in particular on a major issue in the enzymatic process, the inactivation of most lipases caused by methanol, the preferred acyl acceptor used for alcoholysis. The recent results about immobilization of enzymes on nano‐materials and the use of whole‐cell biocatalysts, as well as the use of cell‐surface display technologies and metabolic engineering strategies for microbial production of biodiesel are described. It is discussed also insight into the effects of methanol on lipases obtained by modeling approaches and report on studies aimed at mining novel alcohol stable enzymes or at improving robustness in existing ones by protein engineering.

This work presents a project of hi-tech and supergreen ‘nZEB casale’ in Italy. The ‘nZEB casale’ is located in Matera, in the south of Italy. The project concerns the renovation of a medieval ‘casale’, a group of rural houses for residential use. The shape of the new nZEB is in the style of old light-colored buildings, compact and with projections and shielding elements to reduce the summer thermal loads. The use of local and certified materials for the construction of buildings has resulted in a low environmental impact of buildings and an excellent winter and summer energy performance reaching the best energy class A4. Finally, this work presents an environmental protocol to be applied to nZEBs in order to take into account the other benefits of these constructions, as well as the energy benefits.

Sufficient production, consistent food supply, and environmental protection in urban +settings are major global concerns for future sustainable cities. Currently, sustainable food supply is under intense pressure due to exponential population growth, expanding urban dwellings, climate change, and limited natural resources. The recent novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic crisis has impacted sustainable fresh food supply, and has disrupted the food supply chain and prices significantly. Under these circumstances, urban horticulture and crop cultivation have emerged as potential ways to expand to new locations through urban green infrastructure. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the salient features of contemporary urban horticulture, in addition to illustrating traditional and innovative developments occurring in urban environments. Current urban cropping systems, such as home gardening, community gardens, edible landscape, and indoor planting systems, can be enhanced with new techniques, such as vertical gardening, hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and rooftop gardening. These modern techniques are ecofriendly, energy- saving, and promise food security through steady supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables to urban neighborhoods. There is a need, in this modern era, to integrate information technology tools in urban horticulture, which could help in maintaining consistent food supply during (and after) a pandemic, as well as make agriculture more sustainable.

In the present chapter, a global overview of mobile phone sector is presented. Specific focus is given to the Italian mobile phone sector, the sustainability of which is addressed by taking into account two critical aspects related to the behavioral patterns of the users (namely the energy consumption of mobile phones and associated equipment, and the conflicting link between potential dematerialisation due to the miniaturisation of the devices and the resource consumption and waste generated in this sector). This chapter also assesses the impact of the mobile phone sector on the national electricity consumption in a reference year (i.e., 2009), on the growing consumption of resources and on e-waste production. Additionally, some experimental guidelines for evaluating energy consumption and efficiency of mobile phones, of chargers and of batteries are provided. Finally, resource consumption and the e-waste generated by increased mobile phone usage are analyzed.